Emergencies and Phase-one Checklist Items

The emergency vital actions contained in the Pilot’s Checklist for the Seneca are based on the Phase-one/Phase-two format. The system is quite straightforward. Phase-one items are actions that must be immediately performed by the pilot—they are therefore memorized, as there is no time to use a checklist (for example, the immediate responses to an engine or cabin fire). In contrast, Phase-two items are described on a checklist and need not be memorized, but instead must be performed in accordance with the checklist after Phase-one items are completed. In the event of an emergency, the pilot immediately completes Phase-one items, and then calls for (or refers to, in the case of single-pilot operations) the checklist for Phase-two items, which can then be systematically completed. If you examine the Seneca’s emergency checklist items, you will note a dotted-line box delineating Phase-one items from Phase-two items.